MANILA, Philippines - At the recently concluded ceremony, Shell companies in the Philippines’ (SciP) Movement Against Malaria bagged a coveted Merit Award under the PR Programs on a Sustained Basis Category in the 48th Anvil Awards conferred by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.
Through the Movement Against Malaria’s Biyahe ng Kulambo advocacy campaign against the deadly malaria disease, 680,118 innovative insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed; 1,360,236 beneficiaries’ lives were transformed; 2,000 health service providers were trained and 9,300 malaria cases were treated. Moreover, the advocacy gained the support of government executives in 40 malaria-endemic provinces in the Philippines to invest in local malaria control programs.
Movement Against Malaria is run by Shell’s social investment arm, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. with the aim to eradicate, prevent and control malaria in the 40 malaria-endemic provinces in the country. Aside from the recent Anvil recognition, Movement Against Malaria also received an Award of Excellence in the Concern for Health Category in the 9th Asian Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, Asia’s premier awards program on corporate social responsibility; an Excellence Award in PRSP’s 46th Anvil Awards; and a United Nations Millennium Development Goals Warrior Award from the UN Millennium Development Campaign. Moreover, through the efforts of Movement Against Malaria, the Philippines achieved the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases in 2011.
A symbol of excellence, the annual Anvil Awards, conferred by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, gathers the cream of public relations programs and tools that promote goodwill and genuine service to people leading towards national development and unity.
“We at Shell are much honored to receive this prestigious award,†said SciP social investment manager Jackie Ampil upon receiving the Anvil trophy. “Indeed, the Anvil Awards has always motivated us to pursue excellence in advancing sustainable and groundbreaking PR practices geared towards nation-building.â€
Movement Against Malaria’s Biyahe ng Kulambo is one of the five Shell companies in the Philippines programs recognized with an Anvil Award of Merit. Other Shell programs honored include Shell Pepeng Pasada Club, Shell Eco-marathon Asia, Shell Young Eco-Savers and Shell FuelSave Day — Guinness World Record for Largest Fuel Efficiency Lesson.
This year’s selection process was most stringent as the entries totalled a record-breaking 396, but only 138 made it to the distinguished list of winners. This “Oscars†of public relations in the Philippines was held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.